Green Shells
by Jobbeybob
Summary: A short novel written by me and a friend during eighth grade.  It's about three Koopa Troopas deciding to travel to World Eight and take over Bowser's Kingdom.  Please excuse it if it's bad, as we were stripped for time.
1. Prologue

"**WHAT THE **_**HELL**_** IS THAT THING?" **

The doctor put on his glasses. The question from the frustrated woman sitting in the sand in front of him puzzled him for a moment, despite his various degrees and diplomas. Then, the answer finally hit him.

"It appears to be your son."

"_WHAT?_"

The doctor was just as confused as she was. Four months ago, he had assisted her in laying thirty-one eggs into the well dug pit they were staring in at the moment. Now, the new mother, along with him and her husband, came back to watch their children hatch.

However, the happy occasion was ruined by the appearance of a defected baby. Among the thirty of its siblings, a hideous monster child torn the egg it lived in for the past few months into shreds. The doctor had delivered many defected and disabled children, but none as horribly mutated as this one. Instead of a pointed beak that babies use t break out of their eggs, this child's mouth was round with two steaming nostrils, similar to that of an ox. Its mouth was filled with sharp, pointed things, which were never seen in anybody else of their race. It had unusual red hair, which spread like fire from its scalp to its neck. The doctor noticed two tiny horns budding from the inferno of hair, and several more stubs growing out of the back of its shell.

"Don't worry," the doctor recited the speech he was taught to comfort the mothers of defects. "Some children are born missing an arm or an eye. You should be glad that it isn't anything serious."

But even as he said it, the demon-child was biting and clawing at its brothers and sisters in the pit. The doctor reached in and carefully removed the kid. He placed it in its confused mother's arms, where it couldn't do any harm to its siblings. The baby snarled at its mom and bared its teeth. Its father scratched his head.

"Come on, honey," the father said. "I'm sure that underneath that hideous shell he is really just a normal little boy. Right doctor?"

"Uh… yeah… right," the doctor was quickly packing up his equipment to leave. He wasn't sure why, but he just wanted to get as far away from the child as possible.

The father remained optimistic. He carefully took the baby from his wife. "How about we give him a name that reflects his… unique personality. How about we call him… Bowser."

Bowser bit his father's hand.


	2. Chapter 1

**MACE VOMITED. IT GATHERED INTO A PUDDLE**

at the bottom of the pipe he was guarding. He stared at it. In a way, he was sort of glad he just barfed. It killed time.

For what seemed like the five hundredth time that day (actually, it was the seven hundred and eighth), Mace exercised his memory by recalling everything he still remembered from school. This kept him from going insane.

The green Koopa Troopa walked to the second green pipe in the area he was responsible for, and sat down in a heap. Mace wiped his beak and looked up. Thick clouds were scattered around the sky. The sunlight torched the atmosphere and the desert around him. Mace wondered if his shell was hot enough to give someone a third degree burn. He groaned. Boredom had eaten most of his mind months ago.

First things first. What was his name? Oh yeah, Rydan the Third. Named after his father, who in turn was named after his grandfather. Mace's grandfather that is, not his father's grandfather. Which would be Mace's great-grandfather. Anyways, where was he? Oh... right. His name. He had gotten the name "Mace," from doing one thing or another during military training, but he couldn't recall what.

Training. That word floated around Mace's head for a moment. What exactly did he do in training? It must had been to help him fight in the Koopa army or something, but he couldn't imagine how he trained to guard the same fifty square metres of sand every single moment of every single day.

Then a thought struck him. If he was fighting in a war then who was he fighting for? He strained his brain to remember what his old teacher used to tell him. They had a king. Who was that guy? Bow-something. Bowie? Bow Wow? Oh well, it wasn't important. He remembered his teacher forcing those graphic descriptions of how the king destroyed all those who got in his way, and decided that it didn't really matter what his name was.

What else did he learn in his elementary years? Whoever the king was, he had became king over the Koopas entirely by force and terrorism. He grew to amazing sizes, almost three times as large as the others. With every part of his body a sharp lethal weapon, he could easily kill anyone of his humble race. That was how the king took over. By spreading fear of death and injury, he managed to enslave the entire Koopa race.

Wait. Koopa? The word had been bouncing around his brain, but he when he thought about it he realized he didn't know what it meant. What's a Koopa? Oh that's right. He was a Koopa. The Koopas were originally a small tortoise like animal called Shellcreepers that were considered pests to the people that lived there before. They were often exterminated because they crawled around through their plumbing. Then one day, the people that exterminated them all moved out of the area, leaving only the Koopas. They evolved into intelligent, kind and gentle creatures that refused to harm another living thing, unlike when they were killed off before. They didn't even need to build houses. The original homes who's owners they terrorized were so ruined, that now most that remains of them are the green metal pipes.

Mace looked up to the green pipe where he had vomited. The puddle had mostly evaporated, leaving only a mess of stained sand, which he was sure would eventually disappear. He looked around his environment. He was guarding a desert. His assigned station was between two pipes, though he couldn't at the time remember who the one that assigned him this station was. Whoever it was, he told him that he was never allowed to cross the boundaries. Occasionally, a piranha plant stuck its head out of the pipe he was currently leaning against, but it usually just shot back down as soon as it came out. Between the two pipes, there was a boulder and what looked to be a cactus growing out of a small patch of grass. Sometimes, he sat on the boulder. He had tried to sit on the cactus, but it was too sharp. From time to time, he still tried to sit on the cactus, despite knowing that it would hurt, just so he could have something to do.

Mace stared up at the sky again. He sighed.

What was his name? Oh yeah…


	3. Chapter 2

_**LUCKY YOU,**_** OTTO THOUGHT TO HIMSELF.****OF**

all the eight worlds, you just had to get sent to good ol' World Two.

Otto had wanted to be sent to a station in World Six. While he had never seen it, he had heard that of all the Eight Worlds, World Six was the best. He was told that World Six had a never-ending winter, which allowed for various forms of recreation, such as skating, snowman building, tobogganing, curling, and even hockey. Otto was smarter than that, however. It wasn't a ski resort. World Six was actually a frozen wasteland of a World, where no plants ever grew, and the lakes and rivers had frozen solid. Many Koopas died of the cold there every day, but Bowser just kept bringing in more and more to take their places.

Still, it was much better than the sight that now graced Otto's eyes. World Two was completely desert. As far as he could see, sand made up this entire scene. Well, sand and the ruins of various houses.

"Lovely place, huh?"

His driver kept his eyes on the road. Otto was sitting in a hard wooden wagon, with no seats. Two snarling Goombas were pulling it, with an old bearded Koopa holding their reins. "You know, I used to have a station around here too. Yeah, when I was your age, me and my gang owned this place." Otto smiled but wasn't really paying any attention. The old man never owned this place, of course. Seven of the eight worlds were looked after by one of Bowser's children. Bowser made each of his children a General of one of the Worlds. Their job was to give commands to every Troopa that was sent there. They were also supposed to take on the enemy if they manage to get through the barrage of Troopas. Their reputation got them nicknamed the "Bosses" by many Troopas. World Two's Boss was Bowser's second youngest: the fat, stupid brat that was Morton Koopa. Otto hated him, almost as much as he hated the King Koopa himself.

Despite their high ranks, Otto doubt the Bosses knew anymore about Bowser's plans than he did. Since he made himself King of the Koopas, Bowser had started this system of Koopas being sent to "defend," various parts of his Kingdom. Every newborn baby was forced into military academy, which was really more a laboratory than a school. The baby Koopas were genetically mutated to kill, even when they didn't want to. Bowser's scientists extracted juices from the deadly poison mushroom and somehow injected it into the skin on the children. This made it dangerous for anyone to hold, or touch, their hands.

Otto was given extra training. After examining his physical abilities, he was given the prestigious title of "Hammer Brother." He was basically just a normal Troopa, but he was able to jump higher, and carry the weight of metal hammers. He was supposed to stay in the same spot throwing hammers at threats to Bowser's Kingdom. Otto was leaning up against a lumpy sack, full of his ammunition. In training, his instructors always told him how an honor it was to be a Hammer Bro. Apparently, he was considered to be bolder than the other Troopas. He was taught never to retreat into his shell, or move from his spot. He thought it was all just a load of Chain Chomp crap, but he didn't want to hurt his reputation. Now that military academy was over, Otto realized it didn't really matter.

"Well, here we are."

Otto looked up in surprise. His new station for the rest of his life was on a brick of a half-disintegrated wall amidst the desert sands. _Nothing special here_, thought Otto. _Just an ordinary Hammer Brother station, just like the ones in the other worlds_.

The two mutant mushrooms grounded into a halt. Otto lugged his hammer bag out of the wagon, and dragged it up the steps to the spot where he was supposed to stand. He plucked out a hammer, and tossed it and caught it to get a feel of its weight. Hammer Brothers were told to keep one hammer in their hand at all times, until they threw it at an attacking enemy, so Otto assumed that he would be holding this one for a long, long time.

The driver noticed Otto's discontent.

"Hey kid, if you get bored, you can talk to that guy over there. He's insane, or something, though," the driver pointed to a green pipe behind the wall that Otto was standing on. Otto leaned over to see past the top part of the wall. At first he didn't see anything, but then he noticed a foot sticking past the pipe. The Koopa it belonged to might have been unconscious at the moment as he did nothing to imply that he noticed the wagon.

"That guy's been here before you were drafted," the driver continued. "He's a little fragile in the mind, but he's okay as company." With that the driver lashed his reins. The fanged Goombas shrieked and turned the wagon around. They pulled it through the sand until they disappeared into the distance.

Otto put his helmet on.


	4. Chapter 3

**MACE VOMITED. IT GATHERED INTO A PUDDLE**

at the bottom of the pipe he was guarding. He stared at it. In a way, he was sort of glad he just barfed. It killed time.

For what seemed like the two thousandth time that day (actually, it was the nine thousand and first), Mace exercised his memory by recalling everything he still remembered from school. This kept him from going insane.

Mace was about to check up on the movements of the clouds, when he heard a sound coming from directly above him. Mace gave a brief scream and jumped up. He hadn't heard noise for weeks.

Mace walked back cautiously from the pipe. Whatever it was, it sounded like a heavy metal object knocking on stone. Now more confused than frightened, Mace walked closer to the pipe, and looked up. Suddenly, he realized the knocking stopped. More suddenly, he realized a hammer was flying towards him out of the sky. Mace didn't move.

The hammer actually landed in the sand next to him. Mace stared at it in bewilderment. He had forgotten what consisted as a hazard to his well-being, and realized he probably didn't act the correct way.

The person who the hammer belonged to poked his head out from the other side of the pipe. To Mace, the Koopa looked almost like a child. Mace realized that he was probably a new Troopa that had just came to a station near his.

"Wait a minute," he thought aloud. "Wasn't there supposed to be a new Troopa arriving today? A Hamlet Brother, or something like that?_" _Mace couldn't remember. He hadn't actually heard about any new arrivals, but he assumed there probably was. After all, the evidence was staring at him awkwardly right now.

"Hey... um... sorry about that. You aren't hurt are you?"  
Mace managed to nod. He had almost forgotten what speech sounded like. Then he remembered how to make speech himself.  
"I... am Rydan," his father had told him to always tell people your real name first. Right after he was born, and right before he was taken away to join the military. "Most of the people I... have known call me Mace."  
The other Koopa smiled in a slightly pitiful manner. "My name's Otto. I'm a Hammer Brother. Could you pass me that hammer please?"  
Mace looked at the hammer. Then he looked back at Otto. Then at the hammer. Mace reluctantly walked up to the hammer, bent over it and picked it up. He felt it in his grip, having never held a hammer before. He walked to Otto and placed it in his hand.  
"Thanks," Otto said. "You've been here for a long time, haven't you?"  
Mace made himself nod. Then, Mace fainted, overwhelmed by all the changes that had just came to his environment.


	5. Chapter 4

OTTO'S ARRIVAL COMPLETELY CHANGED

Mace's life.

No longer did the seconds drag by with nothing to grab Mace's attention or interest. Now, Mace was able to retain the social skills and friendliness that had helped Mace in the past. By now, a few months later, they had become close friends. Even though they were very different, they both agreed on one thing: they didn't like the way the Koopa Kingdom was ruled over by Bowser.

"How come Bowser's children always get the highest ranks? They haven't been around for as long as some of the older Koopas who deserve to be promoted. They haven't earned their positions," grumbled Mace. He had been slowly regaining his sanity in the months since Otto's arrival.

"Yeah. You're right about that! Us normal Koopas have no say in anything at all. It's time someone stood up to those Koopalings! Even their name implies that normal Koopa Troopas should have more rights and freedoms then now. Well, if I were in charge, I would at least tell my soldiers why I'm sending them to these stupid stations for the rest of their lives!" Otto ranted angrily.

"You said it, buddy!"

Furaido took flight. The Paratroopa, part of the air force of the Koopa King's army, rose above the clouds of World Two on his patrol of the area. For most of his patrol, he saw nothing but white sand, brown sand, and golden sand in the desert.

Then, he recognized a familiar face.

"Hey Otto! It's me, Furaido!" Furaido circled his old friend. Otto looked up in confusion, but then cracked a smile when he saw his old bunk-mate.

"Furaido! Is that really you? I haven't seen you since we left that Hellhole. How did you spot me from way up there, anyway?" Otto asked.

"Oh. I have 20-20 vision. You need good eyesight to become a Paratroopa. And wings." As Furaido descended, he stopped his glide and flapped his white, feathery wings to slow down before he hit the ground.

"Really? Well that's nice, but there really isn't anything to see around here. Most of the other Troopas got positioned near to borders of World Two. There isn't anyone else for miles."

Furaido and Otto both look around at the sea of sand.

"I just came from World Seven." Furaido said. "The Bow-Wow's brat made me escort his Airship back to his castle, but didn't allow me and my gang to get to World Eight. That poor Princess..."

Otto blinked. "Princess? What do you mean? Princess Wendy?"

Furaido looked shocked. "You mean you haven't heard? No, not Princess Wendy, she doesn't deserve pity for being Bowser's offspring. I'm talking about Princess Peach!"

Otto blinked again. Furaido couldn't have meant the Princess Peach Toadstool, right? Peach Toadstool, ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom? The peaceful Kingdom inhabited by walking toadstools that Bowser had sometimes shown signs of envy? What had happened to the Princess?

Furaido continued impatiently. "Bowser finally revealed his plan! He got all the Bosses to join together on his giant Airship... Fortress... thing and fly over to the Mushroom Kingdom to kidnap Peach! He plans to attack the Mushroom Kingdom and steal their land for himself and his children to live in! The rest of the Koopas would be forced to remain in these Eight wastelands of Worlds!" Furaido took a breath.

Otto could hardly comprehend what was going on. He guessed that this was what Mace felt when he first came into his life. Then, he remembered Mace.

"Hey, um... Furaido, you should meet my friend Mace. He's a Troopa that has his station right next to mine."

Furaido was surprised at how fast the subject changed, but he went with it. "Mace? What, is he some big tough guy, with a leather jacket and boots?"

"Well, not really." Otto chuckled at the thought. "You should see him. But be careful. He's a little... fragile in the head."

Little did Otto and Furaido know that Mace was listening to their conversation. Mace didn't know either.

Mace was putting all his interest into another change of his environment. He was surprised to find that what appeared to be a round, orange flower with two eyes had sprouted out of the cactus.

What was surprised him even more was that it seemed to be communicating to him.

"Listen Mace... you hate this life don't you?" the fire-flower inquired. "You know, staying in the same spot, under the same heat everyday?" Mace nodded. "Then why don't you fight back?"

Mace thought about this. "But I can't. Anyone of the Bosses, and Bowser himself could kill me."

"Yeah, you can't by yourself, but think about all the other Troopas and Paratroopas in this World alone, who will gladly join your cause to fight back against the King. Why, right now a Paratroopa named Furaido is talking to your friend Otto about how they'd love to destroy Bowser's Kingdom." A small amount of fire seemed to spark from the fire-flower's eyes as it said this. "Well, I need to go now. Think about what I said." The fire-flower didn't actually go anywhere, but it stopped talking.

Mace pondered about what the flower just said. It was true that it was possible for them to overpower Bowser and the Bosses. All they needed was to somehow convince as many disgruntled Koopas as possible.

His train of thought was interrupted by Otto. "Hey Mace!" Otto said. "Who... who were you talking to just then? I want you to meet my friend-"

"Furaido," Mace finished. He stood up and looked at the two confused faces looking back at him. He smiled. "I have an idea."


End file.
